Darkness Dragoon
by Queen of the Faeries1
Summary: For too long she stood at the edge of Forever. She carried the weight of the world on her shoulders and cried tears of blood. Will the new warriors help to ease her eternal pain? These are just the first few chapters. The rest is in the main story.
1. Prologue: Past and Present

Disclaimer: Legend of Dragoon does not belong to me, neither does this plotline. All I'm doing is putting Rose's thoughts to paper.

****

The Story of the Darkness Dragoon

Prologue: Past and Present 

I stand at the edge of the cliff, glaring down at the forest that stretches on in front of me. A town borders the edge, a quiet dirt-road town with stone buildings. It is burning; I can see the smoke. The Sandorans must have attacked the village, for some reason that I cannot figure out.

However, my attention is not focused on my surroundings. I am searching for the Dragon.

Dragons have occupied the planet of Endiness since 11,000 years ago. I have been observing them all my life, and this one is different. Like all Dragons, he has a quick temper and a terrifying wrath. But he is more aggressive, easily angered, preying on even those that do not bother it. An unworthy Master must have influenced him. 

Rocks skitter above me, but I do not flinch. By the soft furry padding of feet and the faint squeaking sounds that I can hear over the roaring of the Dragon, I can tell that it is only a Berserk Mouse, unworthy of my attention.

Where is the Dragon? I think, letting titanium-colored eyes scan the green of the tops of the trees in the forests for the jade Dragon.

Another roar pierces the silence, and the ground shakes. 

I brace my feet against the rock face of the cliff, watching as the Jade Dragon stands up on six feet, resembling an insect more than a Dragon. But he is one of the oldest and most respected. 

"The green-tusked Dragon, Feyrbrand." I mutter to myself, watching as the Dragon tosses its head and roars again.

Movements catch my eye on the forest floor, and there are four shapes in the Dragon's path, unintentionally. As soon as they realize that they are in the very real danger of an annoyed Dragon on the prowl, they run, very wisely.

I frown. They run, except for one, dressed unlike the other Sandoran soldiers. He seems like a commoner, only he is clad in red armor. Who is he and why does he not run from the Dragon?

The mysterious one stares at the Dragon towering over it for several seconds, not stupidly petrified with fear, but with a defiant air around him.

Run, you fool. You cannot defeat the jade Dragon. I think at him.

As if he can hear me, which is impossible, the red-clad warrior turns and runs down the path below me. 

The Dragon roars and pursues.

I frown. Why is Feyrbrand like this? Why does he chase after humans who are not bothering him? If I do not intercept now, the human will die. Not that I like humans all that much, in fact, I worry about no one but myself, and with good reason. Why should I care what happens to others?

But this human...there is something different from him.

I leap off the cliff, digging the soles of my feet against the face, sliding down. I use the friction to slow my descent, and I am unafraid. 

Feyrbrand is catching up to the human. 

"Look out!" I yell, pushing my feet off the rock face and diving into the human, knocking him aside behind a large boulder. He struggles, possibly thinking that he is being attacked. I push him against the rock, and he struggles. 

"Who are you?"

I clamp a hand over his mouth. "Shh." I hiss, and pause dramatically. "If you don't want to die."

The young man stays shut up.

Feyrbrand stops, wondering where his prey has gone, head twisting back and forth. I can feel his hot breath on the back of my neck. He can be poisonous if he wishes, but as of now, he does not breathe out venom.

The red-clad human is not stupid. He crouches by the boulder, keeping himself flat and small as possible. I do the same, trying to shrink my tall frame. It will not bother me if the Dragon discovers me, but the human I cannot protect if Feyrbrand discovers him.

Finally, the jade Dragon thumps off, and I wait until the pebbles do not shake before I stand, dusting myself off.

The red-clad warrior stands as well. "Thank you for saving me." he says, and I finally look at him.

Oh my gods…

He is as tall as I am, with silky dark blonde hair in several spikes, pulled away from his deep dark eyes by a band of red cloth around his forehead. He wears dark blue jeans, a brown leather belt and brown leather shoes. Red torso armor that extends on his shoulders and left arm, stopping at the knuckles and also red knee plates. His right arm is strong but slender, unarmored except for the brown leather glove with the fingertips cut off. His hand is closed around a long-bladed sword with a red and gold hilt. A well-crafted sword, I note with dull interest, a strong weapon. Overall, he does not seem too rich, is devastatingly gorgeous, an above-average fighter, and has enough brains to survive.

But those eyes...Oh gods, could it be him? He looks so much like him... so much that it makes my heart ache. But it cannot be him. It cannot.

"What the heck was that?" The warrior asks. By his voice and appearance, he seems a bit over twenty.

"A Dragon." I answer casually.

"A Dragon?!" he repeats in disbelief and awe.

"But it's strange." I continue as if he has not spoken. I toss my hair over my shoulder. "Dragons don't usually let people influence them. This one has been controlled by the humans. The village could have been destroyed without him."

"The village?" the man frowns, and then his eyes widen. "Are you talking about Seles?"

I nod. Seles is the village I saw being burned earlier.

"Then those guards must have been...!" he leaps over the boulder and begins running down the dirt path. 

"There won't be anything left by now." I call after him.

"Seles is _my_ village!" he yells back.

As he leaves, the dark violet choker that hangs around my neck begins to glow, creating a star-like brilliance around me. Far away, I can see the red pendant that he wore glow as well, with the same star shape.

I frown, dark-gray eyes widening. "Oh my god...? That man must have been a...no, that would be too coincidental... or would it?" 

Tucking the pendant back under my armor, I follow the red-clad warrior.


	2. Dragoon Awakening

****

Dragoon Awakening

His name is Dart. It was the first thing I learned about him. I needed to know, to see if he was the same man, but… though their names are different, why do I feel as if I know him? 

He now travels with two companions. One is a blonde Knight from Basil, our country. He fights with a lance and is noble and chivalrous. He is dressed in white and green with bronze armor, and his name is Lavitz. His late father was a famous knight and Lavitz is the head of the first knighthood of Basil. He just recently escaped from the Hellena Prison with Dart's help. He has become a very good friend with Dart. 

The other is a very beautiful petite young woman named Shana. She has been Dart's childhood friend, and fights with a bow and arrow, although her attacks are weak. She is gentle looking, with feather-soft brown hair that frames her face, set with warm brown eyes and a welcoming smile. She is dressed in a white sleeveless vest and white shorts, both of which are hemmed in blue. Bronze armor adorns her neck and shoulders. She is too sweet for her own good. 

They are resting in an abandoned shack right now, and I am on the roof, watching through a hole I created with the tip of my sword, listening.

"Dart, how did you get to Seles?" Shana asks.

"I was swooped down by a Dragon on my way to Seles. I was overwhelmed, and I was sure I couldn't escape from it. But…a passing warrior saved me. That's why I am still alive."

Lavitz frowns. "The Dragon is advancing faster than I thought. We must do something or it'll be too late."

The statement hovers in the air, laced with blood and war. There is an awkward silence and Shana shifts uncomfortably before she speaks. 

"So, Dart, tell me about the past five years. Have you found your Black Monster yet?"

My eyebrows fly way up. Amusing...he is after the Black Monster? I shift slightly, trying not to shake dust down.

"Why would you want to look for the Black Monster?" Lavitz asks.

"The Black Monster killed my parents!" Dart says through clenched teeth. "I had two homes. One was in Seles, with you, Shana. And the other one was with my parents. One day eighteen years ago, the Black Monster attacked the village. My parents and I were the only ones that made it out. But Father went back to fight the Black Monster, and Mother went with him. They never came back."

I bite down on my lip, eyes narrowing.

Dart reaches into his shirt and pulls out the red pendant around his neck, almost identical to mine, which is no surprise. Recently they have been in style. But I have had mine for much longer than when the blacksmiths started making them.

"This is the gift my father gave me, all that I have left of him."

I nod once. Yes, that is it...it was no coincidence in the forest then... I now know that my first instinct was true. He is one of mine.

Another week has passed, and I remain undiscovered. 

I shall stay this way until I obtain the information I need. He should awaken soon.

By the gods, Dart reminds me so much of him...

I have lived a very long time. 

They are in Hoax now, a fortress that has no civilians, only knights of Basil. They are noble and kind, but weak. I turn my face in disgust. Being nice does not get you anywhere. You could be as nice as you want, but it will not save you. If you were attacked and did not know how to fight, what would you say to the bandit? They would not spare you simply because you were 'nice'. How futile. Being a warrior is the only way to protect yourself.

I have been sleeping in an abandoned house, knowing that I will always awaken before anyone catches me. The morning comes quickly here, and I get up and slip into my armor.

Deep dark violet is my color. First I wear the long-sleeved tunic of dark violet, and the gloves to protect me from blisters as I hold my heavy blade. Shorts that looks like a skirt, and then the boots. One boot is ankle high; the other is thigh high, giving me a more unique strange appearance. All my clothing is hemmed with gold, with swirling golden designs like an ancient Amazon warrior. Two headpieces, almost like horns, fit on my head. I grab my sword and creep to my normal spying spot and wait for several hours, watching. Patience I can have if I want.

Lavitz is speaking to the commander here, the head of the second Knighthood of Basil, who is a handsome man named Kaiser. They are good friends, but danger lurks in the air. I can smell it. 

I can also sense Feyrbrand around. His musk is not unfamiliar to me, and I recognize it instantly. There will be a battle, and the knights all know it. They are preparing for a battle. 

One look tells me their defense is not good at all. They will be defeated easily. I could defeat them. But then, of course, I could destroy this town and three others better guarded without any trouble. I am, after all, what I am.

Dart and Lavitz are on guard duty, watching the back of the town. I perch on one of the towers, hidden in shadows. 

Dart glances at the small quiet fortress, and turns to walk away. "We've been standing here for a few hours already, Lavitz. I'm hungry. I'm gonna go get something to eat. You want anything?" 

"Dart, how do you know the Dragon won't attack? Kaiser said that he intercepted Kandoran messages that the Dragon is going to attack the Knighthood." Lavitz protests.

"Yeah, but listen to the forest. You can hear the hooting of the nocturnal owls. That means that nothing is out of the ordinary in the forest. Everything's fine. You want something to eat?" Dart offers again.

__

Smart... I think before I can stop myself. 

"Yeah, sure. Bring me back anything. Be quick, okay?" Lavitz sounds casual but alert, only slightly nervous.

"Be back in a second." Dart starts down the stairs.

The owls stop hooting.

"Sir Lavitz! Sir Kaiser!" one of the younger Knights shouts up. "The attack has begun from the front!" 

Lavitz leaps down from the guard tower, and my eyebrows lift fractionally. I have underestimated his passion. I know that the Knighthood means a lot to him. He is the perfect Knight, and a rather good fighter.

Arrows are launched from the front. I can see the Sandoran forces. Their archers are in front and their foot soldiers farther behind. But there are too less of them. Still enough to take over the fort, but not enough. The Sandoran army has much much more than this. This must only be a decoy.

I frown. One of the Sandorans is much larger than the others; almost twice my height, and I am tall for a female. He is dressed slightly like a caveman, and has two red vertical streaks on his eyes, a battle sign. He carries a thick giant blade, and looks like he could put up a good fight with me without my powers.

He is a Giganto; the 97th race created by the Divine Soa tree that gave life to everything. The only one left, probably. I know that Giganto are all extinct except for one who works for the evil Emperor Doel of the Sandoran army, named Kongol.

Dart and Lavitz are fighting him. I must give them credit for their courage; they are braver than I thought to stand up to the giant Kongol. 

They are winning, but just barely. Lavitz messes up on one of his attacks, leaving him open. Kongol knows this, and counterattacks. He has no style or class, but he has a significant amount of brute strength. He simple picks up the knight and tosses him across the street. 

Lavitz groans as he makes his way back, and by that time, Dart is charging forward, slashing at the Giganto with the carefully crafted blade. He will win this time. I can smell victory in the air for this one battle. But Hoax is doomed. 

I am too busy to realize the arrow launched at the tower I am on.

Without waiting, I allow my reflexes to take over, changing, shape shifting, rushing along the process.

As my body changes, I am already moving, cart wheeling out of the way to land inside the tower on the windowsill. The arrow flies harmlessly over my head. Reaching up an arm, I snatch it out of air and break it.

I am still changing, the pure sweetness of it rushing along every vein in my body, flowing through my muscles and blood. The Dragon blood that I possess is allowing me to transform. I push the process along faster. Utter a cry as the sweet fierce ache stretches my limbs, strengthening them even more. 

My armor changes to fit my new form. Deep violet colored, the armor is plated as it fits over me. My sword changes, more dangerous and to my color. The hilt fits my clawed gloves. Armor lines my arms and legs, and the plating at my waist flares out to protect my hips. Scarlet armor for my knees and soles of my feet, for my torso and shoulder pads. Violet-black forearm-armor that ends and sharpens at the elbow for a dangerous appearance. 

Wings sprout from my shoulder blades, two giant wings two-thirds my size. The bones are violet-edged-carmine and from them drape smaller violet bones, connected with pale green webbing. Delicate-looking wings, but very strong, strong enough to support my weight and allow me the gift of flight.

I am a Dragoon, not the warrior of a king, but a human combined with a Dragon. 

I control my wings with years of experience, pushing off the window and diving upward. I sheathe my sword and stare at the incoming barrage of arrows. 

Oh well, I've got nothing better to do. Why not help? 

I raise one hand, summoning my inner power. "Demon's Gate!" I shriek. 

Fire bursts forward from my hand in a sweeping motion and from right to left all the arrows burst into flame and disintegrate without harming their target.

Satisfied with the results, I turn back to the battle to watch Dart. 

Neither of them sees me, and Shana is inside, tending to the wounded.

Dart charges forward for the final blow, sword pulled back. 

Kongol anticipates this. Although he is weak and almost defeated, he grabs Dart before the sword comes forward and slams him to the ground. Dart lays there, stunned, sword knocked several meters away. 

Kongol picks up his own giant sword and walks up to Dart, who is cornered with nowhere to go.

"Dart!" Lavitz yells, but he is too far away to help. 

"Kongol will kill human." The Giganto says, lifting the sword above his head. 

But he is wrong. Dart is not a simple human.

I dive down, wings beating at an impossible rate even for me. My sword in front of me, I slice against the Giganto, knocking him back. I skid to a stop and turn back, slicing him again. I pause there, hovering in the air. 

I can see Lavitz staring at me. Of course, I am not human. But I turn my attention to Dart, who has climbed to his feet, gawking in awe and amazement. Surely he recognizes me from before. 

I point my sword at him, focusing my power to help him. "Wake up!" I command. "Dragoon of the Red-Eyed Dragon!" 

The red pendant around his neck begins to glow, star-like. 

"What is this?!" Dart demands, frightened and angry.

The red light washes over him. He must be afraid, transforming for the first time. I had trouble as well, the first time I tried it. The other ones had had to calm me down. The fire engulfs him.

"Dart! What's happening to you?" I hear the anxiousness in Lavitz' voice.

"I don't know!" Dart replies frantically.

When the fire disappears, Dart stands in his Dragoon form.

My eyebrows shoot way up.

Impressive... 

Red is his color, as his Dragon is the Fire type. Wings like mine, only stronger looking, more masculine, and the thicker bones are completely red. Red armor plated like mine, but the thighs are unarmored, only clothed in the black thin skins again. Red boots, complete plated gloves, and forearm armor. The sword morphed as well, as it is now glowing with internal fire, more powerful. 

A giant green jewel is centered on the red chest plate. The cloth that pulls back his hair is dotted with the same emeralds. Very impressive, bringing out the fire within him. Very powerful, those wings and weapon. He will be a powerful Dragoon.

Oh gods, he looks just like him... 

Dart seems to know what to do. The fire burns from the passion within him, setting him ablaze. The fire forms a more solid shape in front of the green jewel, and Dart guides it with his mind, slamming it into Kongol. 

The giant is knocked back, landing on his head and cracking the pavement. He lays still.

"Th-these are not humans! Run!" The guards all run off.

"Dart, what happened to you?" Lavitz asks.

"The knight of the Dragon. The Dragoon in you awakened." I say, landing next to Dart, and fluttering my wings once.

When the troops are gone, Shana runs out. I wince without showing it. I had forgotten about the gentler girl. "Dart! Dart, is that you? What happened?"

"Shana..." Dart stares at her as if seeing her for the first time. In Dragoon form, senses are sharpened. 

The fire in him wavers and in a flash of red light, the Dragoon vanishes. Dart, dressed in the normal red armor, crumbles to the ground, falling forward, face in the dirt. 

"Dart?" Lavitz yells.

"Seeing Shana...made me relieved..." Dart mumbles, and loses consciousness.

I step forward out of the shadows, moving to pick up Dart.

Shana dashes protectively in front of him, and I snatch my hand back to avoid it getting slapped. "Get away from him!" She says, looking at my wings with frightened brown eyes.

I realize I have not fallen out of Dragoon form yet, and closing my titanium colored eyes, I will it so, and I can feel the dark violet light washing over me. I am now back to normal.

"Who--what are you?" The girl named Shana asks.

"Someone who is trying to help Dart. You must get him inside." My voice sends a shiver through her; she watches me more warily. Though I never raise my voice, I can still scare people with its cold breathy feel like a whisper of wind. 

"You--" 

"That's what we were going to do anyway, Shana. Come on, give me a hand." Lavitz bends and strains to pick up Dart, and after hesitating for half a second, Shana helps.

Hoax is destroyed, burned and crumbling, houses with walls but no roofs, but this one house is still intact most of the way. They place Dart on the bed, and Shana runs to get a cold compress.

"Who are you?" She asks, once Dart is comfortable. Lavitz stands to one side, leaning against a shaky cabinet, observing.

"That is none of your business. I will answer only to Dart." I say, turning slightly so I will not have to look at her. She is far prettier than I am, with a more emphasized figure. Of course Dart would choose her over me. 

Now they are both staring at me. I know I still look dangerous. It is something I cannot change. I cannot change the snow-like fair skin and the flowing jet-black hair. I cannot change the mysterious aura of danger that I carry; the warning signs that make others steer away. 

Shana and I glare at each other. I do not like her. She is too close to Dart, and she is too sweet for her own good. She will end up getting hurt. 

"What did you do to Dart?" She demands.

"I saved his life." I answer smoothly. "I should be thanked so why do I have to be yelled at?" 

Dart groans and blinks and sits up. 

"Dart! You're all right!" Shana turns her attention to him.

The red-clad warrior gets up, shaking his head. He looks at Shana, then at Lavitz, and finally at me. "Oh. It's you..." he says. His eyes flash from pale blue to dark blue to black.

I nod once.

"You know her?" Shana asks.

"Yes. She's the warrior that saved me before from the Dragon. Her name is..." Dart trails off.

I step in. "My name is Rose." I hold out my hand, and he shakes it. He has a firm grip. "I am a Dragoon, as are you."

"I'm not too sure of everything..." Dart says. "Will you please explain?"

I nod. "Dragoons are spirits that are basically humans mixed with Dragon blood. 20,000 years ago, the Divine Soa tree created 108 races. Giganto, the one you fought outside was the 97th, Dragons were the 105th, humans were the 106th, and Winglies were the 107th. The Winglies enslaved the humans, and 11,000 years ago, the war broke out, called the Dragon Campaign. The humans enlisted the help of the Dragons, and seven of them became Dragoons, fighting against the Winglies. Humans won, and the Winglies retreated. Dragoon spirits have been passed down ever since." I point one long manicured fingernail at the pendant around his neck.

"I never thought my father's gift would be something like this..." Dart says softly.

I look away. Of course you didn't. I don't know how you got the pendant though. It was supposed to be his. He was so mysterious and charming and wonderful. Just like you, Dart, in a way. 

"Thank you for saving me." Dart says.

I wave my hand once in dismissal. "I did it because I wanted to. You and your friends intrigue me."

"How did you know we were here?"

"I followed you since that first day."

Dart raises his eyebrows, Shana's face changes, and Lavitz smiles.

A frantic voice comes from outside. "Sir Lavitz! The Eleventh Knighthood in the Marshland is under attack!" 

"What! Let's go!" Lavitz runs out.

Shana follows, but after she makes sure that Dart leaves first. She does not trust me with him. I walk after them. I never run or rush anywhere; it is just not in my style. My ways are more fluid but prowling, like a dark-furred panther.

Outside, Hoax has turned to daytime. Kaiser comes up, one hand clutching at his ribs.

"Lavitz! The Eleventh Knighthood is under attack! You must go help them!" he turns to Dart and me. "You two...I saw what you did. You two are Dragoons. Please help them. You are the only ones with enough power... Lavitz, please help..."

"We will help in whatever way we can. I will do everything I can to prevent more bloodshed." Dart promises.

"And I will go with Dart." I vow. Shana throws me a dirty look; she believes I am rivaling her.

"Thank you." Kaiser falls down on one knee, a great gesture of respect, especially for a Knight. "Please help." He bows and limps off. 

"We must help them. Now." Lavitz begins to run toward the marshland. He really does love Basil and all its citizens and Knights. I can see it in his speed and anxiety, and also in his eyes. The deadly green glow in his eyes tells me that he is more determined than ever. And that tells me that he and the King must be good friends. He will save him at the cost of his own life.

Dart grabs him in time, snagging his collar and jerking him to a stop. "Wait, Lavitz. We're not ready yet. We will have to fight once we get there. We must prepare first. You and Shana go to buy the armor and weapons we may need."

"All right." Although still anxious, Lavitz walks off to the item shop with Shana.

Dart turns to me. "Teach me about being a Dragoon?" 

It takes four hours for him to perfect it, quicker than others are. He is strong, knocking me back several times, but I do not show pain. The stars will disappear on the night that I show weakness! My comments are all condescending, telling him to get with it and be stronger even though I grow weak with his attacks.

When everything is finally all right, we leave Hoax.

"Dart, after we leave, I will look at you as a full-fledged Dragoon and will not help you in battle. If you have any questions, you must ask them now." I say.

"I am fine." He replies. "Let's move out." he is the leader of the group. 

I walk in front, and Shana in back. It would be dangerous to leave us together, two women after the same man. Dart walks beside me in battle formation, scanning what I may miss, which is impossible.

He reminds me so much of him. Someone I knew once before, someone that I knew very well. My long lost love that died, and with him, a large part of my heart died as well. I would never love again.

And yet Dart reminds me of him... perhaps that is why I am in love with him.

I am not one to deny feelings although I try to stop them. But love has bloomed in me, and I cannot deny it or push it away, only try to delay it.


	3. Poison

****

Poison

The walk to the marshland is long. I watch everyone's battle's techniques up close. Lavitz is a master with his lance, thrusting in all the right places at the right time with the right attack, though his strength could be better. Dart of course, is the perfect warrior, although he does make mistakes. Shana is weaker than I thought. She has no further attacks, only the bow. But something about her is strange...

I narrow dark silver eyes at the large crocodile monster in front of me and rush forward, slashing my sword to the side at the last instant. "Whip Smack!" I breathe the name of my powerful attack in a rough furry voice.

I am the most powerful out of the entire group, and the crocodile disappears in a haze of red, as do all monsters in battle. 

Afterwards, I find that Shana is looking at me strangely. Not with the same hostility and jealousy she showed before because she thought I was pursuing Dart, but now with an awe and respect as if recognizing me as a warrior.

I nod once at her to show that I do not wish her as an enemy either, to show that I acknowledge her, and we continue on our way.

The marshland is humid and damp and smelling heavily of sweat and hunting. I do not let my emotions show on my face; I never have and never will. Especially not in front of these strangers, and Dart. 

Shana pauses as we walk down a muddy path.

Dart stops. "What's wrong?" he asks her. 

She shakes her head, brown hair spilling over her delicate shoulders. "My foot got stuck in the mud. That's all." 

"Do you need help?" The warrior asks her, walking toward her.

"No. I'm fine. See?" She grimaces as she tugs on her foot, yanking it out of the mud. She winces as she begins to walk.

"You've sprained your ankle." Dart states, not in a question. He walks up to her and turns around, bending down. "Hop on. I'll give you a piggyback ride." 

"But it's embarrassing..." Shana protests.

"You used to love them back when we were little, remember?" Dart says, sounding almost hurt, and Shana climbs on carefully. I wonder if she really did sprain her ankle, or if she is just trying to get Dart's attention. It does not take a smart person to figure out that she is in love with him.

As they walk back toward Lavitz and I, I hear Shana speaking. "I'm such trouble, aren't I?"

"I don't think so." Dart's voice is warm and comforting.

"I can't do anything right. And I'll never be a good a fighter as Rose is." Shana murmurs, her cheek pressing against Dart's back.

"Don't compare yourself to her. You are yourself. She is an entirely different person." Dart says. "Let's rest for a while until Shana's ankle gets better." Dart suggests, placing the petite girl on a rock. She shifts awkwardly, placing one hand on her ankle and starting to take her leather boot off.

"Don't take it off." I warn her.

She looks at me with surprise, and then hurt, and then a glare. "Don't worry. It doesn't smell."

I toss my hair over my shoulder. "I was trying to help. If you take your boot off, your ankle will swell." 

Shana seems surprised that I am helping her, and she leaves the boot on.

Dart sits on a sturdy tree branch across from Lavitz. The blonde Knight settles himself on a rock with a groan, even though he is still young. I estimate that he is just nearing the thirty years mark.

I do not sit. I lean against the relatively clean trunk of a tree. 

Lavitz begins the conversation. "I just realized something. We don't know a lot about each other except for the fact that we're all friends."

__

Yeah, friends, I'm sure. I think. _What a dumb word._

"Let's explain ourselves. You're the newest, so why don't you start, Rose?" he hesitates on my name, and I do not blame him. Rose is such a simple and beautiful name for a woman as mysterious and dangerous as me. 

I shrug. "What can I say?"

"Then tell us about Dragoons."

That is a topic I understand. "There are only seven Dragoons spirits that have been passed down, each with their own element. There are seven elements as well. Dart is the master of the Red-Eyed Dragon of Fire. I am the master of the Dragon of Darkness, Michael. The other elements are water, wind, light, earth, and thunder. Each Dragoon has that element on their side."

An uneasy silence fills the air. Silence does not bother me; it is my friend.

However, it seems Lavitz is troubled. "Can you tell us more? Not about the Dragoons, but about yourself. Like where are you from?"

"Endiness."

"Endiness is the entire planet, Rose. Of course you are from here. Okay, different question. How old are you?"

His question amuses me. If I were to tell the truth, they would be knocked over. "How old do you think I am?" 

Lavitz considers my question. "Before when you swooped out of the sky, I would have said you seemed a bit over thirty. When you landed, you looked like a teenager. When you were speaking to us, I would have bet that you were twenty. So I would guess that you are a bit over twenty."

"Then that is how old I am. It is for myself to know and no one else." I reply with a mysterious glint in my eyes.

Lavitz gives up trying to speak to me and turns to Shana. "Shana?"

"I'm the daughter of the Mayor of Seles, and I knew Dart since childhood. The Sandorans, because of some reason I don't know, recently captured me. It is Sandorans, right, Lavitz?"

"That is correct. The geography of this planet is complicated. The planet itself is called Endiness, and it is split into four continents. One is Tiberoa, a hot rocky continent with wonderful towns. Another is Gloriano, where the Dragon Campaign was fought, and where the Death Frontier is. The third is the mysterious continent of Mille Seaseu. And the one we are on is Serdio. For the past twenty years, Serdio has been divided. One side is the Sandorans, led by Emperor Doel, fighting to overtake the other country Basil, which is led by his nephew His Majesty King Albert. This war has been going on for twenty years, the Serdian War." Lavitz shakes his head. "I am the first Knight to His Majesty Albert, and will fight by his side for as long as this horrid war goes on."

I almost scoff my contempt. You think twenty years is a long time to fight? The Dragon Campaign took all of a century and more...

Lavitz continues to speak. "I wanted to be a Knight ever since I was a child. My father held the first Knighthood before me, a sworn ally of the King Carlo. By the time he died, Albert became King, and I became the first Knight. My father was killed as well. His best friend, his sworn brother, betrayed him... turning against him." 

Dart must have sensed the sudden amount of hatred and spite in the air, even though it is harmless from gentle Lavitz. "Come on, let's move out. Shana, is your ankle better?"

The girl stands up and gingerly applies pressure. "Yeah. I'm fine now. Let's go!" She runs ahead of everyone else. As usual, I lag behind, twitching my sword in my grip. 

The battle by the marshland is almost over by the time we reach there. The few remaining Knights are battling the few remaining Sandoran soldiers, swords clashing with thunder-creating clangs. 

We all leap into battle, helping out various Knights. I do not even see whom I am helping. It is not the charity that I am doing this for; it is the simple bloodlust and deaths of the opponent.

I parry a soldier's thrust, kicking straight out with my left leg, the one with the thigh high boot, striking him in the chest with a heel and knocking him into the marsh. He hits his head on the log and stays motionless. I do not care whether he is alive or not. I do not wait to hear the Knight's words of gratitude. I move on to the next soldier. I had hoped that the battle would be more interesting. I wish to see more competition. Any competition at all would be nice. I slash the soldier's torso, and knock him aside.

When I finish the battles, silence reigns, and the smell of blood and fear reeks the air. There is something disgusting about human fear; it stinks. 

"Let's go inside." Dart says quietly, gesturing to the tiny fortress that is decorated like a castle.

Inside I immediately recognize with my stronger senses the venomous poison of the jade Dragon Feyrbrand. The Dragon must have attacked here, not at Hoax where they thought he would be. 

No one else seems to notice the poison, or the misty greenness hovering in the air, except maybe for Dart, who pauses several times but does not comment. He turns toward me once as if for confirmation, but I keep my face blank, an art I have mastered over my years.

"Sir Lavitz..." One of the fallen knights groans.

Lavitz cradles the man's head in his lap. "What happened here?" Dead bodies litter the floors and blood stains the tiles.

"The Dragon...attacked...please help..." 

I wander off, leaving the rest of them to see what to do with the dying man. I search the tiny fortress. There is almost no place to go. I cannot smell Feyrbrand's scent. He must have left a while ago. I will confront him with my own Dragoon and see what happens. And Dart will be there to help with the Red-Eyed Dragoon Spirit.

When I return, all the men are already dead. Dart is checking their corpses. "There's no sign of injury. Is this poison?" he shakes his head. Obviously, he does not like the dead, although the sight does not bother me in the least. Of course, he would hate battle after what had happened to him when he was a child.

He turns to one of the fallen Sandorans. "The dead have no allies or enemies. Rest in peace." He closes the burly man's eyes, and turns to face us all. "We must go to the Dragon's Nest and confront the Dragon."

This I will have to see... Perhaps I will stay with this odd party a bit longer. I must try to figure out this mystery with Dart. And I have my own reasons, anyway...

The Dragon's Nest is far away, past a volcano, which we must cross. The temperature rises, but not to a dangerous point. 

"This is the Volcano Villude. We'll need to cross to reach the Nest." Lavitz informs the others. "Be careful. I hear there's a nasty monster in there." 

The minor monsters scattered around are simple. It takes only one slash to kill them. Even Shana is over-confident as she launches arrow after arrow. 

But as we enter a large lava-filled room, Shana stops walking, pausing on one of the sturdy rocks. "Oh..."

"What's wrong, Shana?" 

"There's a voice...it's calling me. I have to go." She stands and moves as if in a trance.

"Wait! Shana!" Dart pins her arms at her side, immobilizing her. 

"Let me go, Dart. I have to listen to the voice." Shana breaks out of his grip, and leaps over the rocks onto the larger platform, darting down a lit corridor out of our sight.

"Shoot." Dart swears. "Come on, let's follow her." 

Shana did not walk far. She is standing right there, gazing at a massive pile that I recognize. "The voice stopped...?" she says almost wistfully. "Where did it go?"

Is this girl magical? Does she have some connection to this 'voice' that she is speaking about? There is something strange about her. I knew it from the beginning. But she is no Dragoon...that much I know.

"Shana? Is this what was calling you?" Dart gestures to a grayish bulk with an arm protruding from the lava. An arm with six claws.

The girl shakes her head. "I don't know. But when I came here...the voice stopped."

The thing she is looking at is large. Two long-armed claw-like hands and an enormous rectangular head with no eyes or nose or mouth, with green orbs along the sides of its head.

"What is that thing?" Dart echoes, and then walks toward it. 

"Don't!" Shana screams. "Don't go near it! I feel...something's wrong." She holds her arms around her sides as if she is cold, which is impossible at the mouth of a volcano. 

"Listen to Shana." I say. "This Virage is still alive."

"Virage?" Lavitzs echoes.

"Oh, you don't know about it? Let me explain. The Winglies manipulated these creatures during the Dragon Campaign. Somehow, this one survived 11,000 years." I explain.

"That should be impossible." Lavitz says.

Oh, is it? 

Shana does not take her eyes away from the Virage even as I speak. "It probably remained alive because of its hatred against humans, or a personal vendetta against us Dragoons."

The volcano starts to shake.

"Is this an eruption of the volcano?" Lavitz wonders frantically out loud. 

"No." I say. "Observe the Virage." 

The monster has begun to move. The clawed hands twitch, and it emits a groaning sound as it sits up. This Virage is missing the lower half of its body, so it simply floats in the lava. The green orbs, its sensors that work as eyes, focus on us. 

__

Did Shana awaken the Virage? I wonder, unsheathing my sword. 

"Rose, what are its weaknesses?" Dart yells over the sound of rushing lava and groaning Virage. 

"Its body can succumb to anything a human can. Its defense and offense is simply stronger due to how it is shaped. It has an ultimate attack called Beam Laser." I answer mechanically.

I am not just a simple information girl. I can fight better than any of you. I will show you. 

"Look out!" Lavitz yells, and Dart rolls out of the way to avoid being struck by a laser that scorches the ground and stirs up a miniature hurricane of dust that quickly diminishes. 

"Was that its ultimate attack?" Lavitz asks.

"Not even close." I answer in my cold tone, which, no matter how loud the surrounding noises are, can always be heard. I rush forward, drawing my sword back. "Hard Blade!" 

I trace a complicated figure with the blade on the Virage, casting a spell during the process. Now it will be easier to fight, but the others will not know. Also because this Virage does not have a full body, it is much weaker.

"Crush Dance!" Dart spins like a dancer, slashing the Virage with every rotation. He moves swiftly and precisely with his body built like a dancer, just like him. 

Oh gods... 

"Spinning Cane!" Lavitz runs forward with his attack. Although he is not as lithe and perfect as Dart, he is still a great warrior. I would like to spar against him sometime.

Shana sits this battle out. In her eyes is a captivated look as she stares at the Virage. Her weapon is not even in her hand. It is like her mind is somewhere else entirely. 

"Crush Dance!" Dart takes his turn again.

The Virage shifts slightly, causing the ground to shake. Beam Laser it broadcasts its next move telepathically for everyone to hear.

"Guard!" Dart orders, and I lift my arms to shield my head.

The Beam Laser is exactly as I imagined it. My body is used to being attacked with this now, and it has built up some sort of resistance so that the attack does half the damage to me than it does to Dart and Lavitz.

"Die!" I utter as I run forward, slashing multiple times, creating dripping wounds. "More and More!" 

It is Dart that delivers the final blow, running forward and smashing into the Virage with his foot instead of his sword, knocking the ancient monster back from the impact. 

The Virage teeters for a moment, and then falls back into the lava, sending up a wall of the flaming liquid. 

"Oh, God!" Lavitz exclaims as he ducks back so that the lava does not scald his face. "Look out!" 

I walk forward very calmly to look into the pit. 

The Virage is sinking below the surface of the fire now, thrashing, disappearing once again. I blink. I would smile if I still knew what 'smile' meant.

Another spray of lava shoots up, and Dart pauses from his retreat. "Rose! Run!" 

I am unafraid of the Virage, unlike the rest of them. I turn and walk calmly back to the group. I know I look very dramatic, my darkness silhouetted against the brightness of the fire.

"That was too close." Lavitz pants.

Shana seems to be out of her trance now. She remembers what happened, but she does not bring it up. 

"HELP! Anyone help! Please!"

Dart pauses from dusting off his armor. "Who said that?" 

"Help!" a male's voice, it seems, coming from the exit path.

Everyone runs off to help whomever it is. I follow, not rushed. 

There is a man hanging there on the side of the cliff above a river of lava. Whether the sweat on his skin is from fear or from the heat I do not know. His gaudy purple and gold clothes have snagged on several branches, saving his life for the moment. 

"Help! Hey, is someone there?" The merchant calls.

"Oh my God! Hold on!" Dart dashes forward and grabs the merchant's flailing arms. Shana runs up and wraps her arms around Dart's waist, and Lavitz does the same to her. "Pull!" 

They strain to lift the merchant back on; one latched onto the other. It seems so comical. 

When the merchant is safe, everyone stands up, panting. I stand off to the side. 

"Oh, thank you! Thank you so much! Thank you ever so much!" The merchant shakes each of their hands. "I am Dabas, a merchant from the commercial town of Lohan. I came to the Villude because I heard there was a rare gem here. But I fell off the cliff. I thank you for saving my life." 

"It was no problem." Shana says. She seems to handle the social events.

"If you have time, you should drop by at Lohan." Dabas bows. "Thank you." he runs off, purple clothes bright in the light.

Awkward confused silence follows him, and then all three of them burst out laughing. 

I watch with unblinking eyes. Strange how laughter changes someone. I had thought that Lavitz was one of those serious knights that knew how to fight and talk small talk, but never actually laughed. Now he has his arms around his stomach, gasping for air. 

And Shana is even prettier when she laughs, revealing perfect white teeth. Her feather soft hair floats around her face. Indeed I could never compare with her. No wonder Dart prefers her.

Dart is laughing as well, a deep-throated chuckling. This is oddly similar to the laugh of the one that I know, my lost love. His dark blue eyes sparkle with light as he laughs.

We used to laugh a lot too, together.

When he gets his breath back, he waves his hand. "Come on. We're almost there. Let's continue on to the Dragon's Nest..."

It is a short walk from the volcano to the Dragon's Nest, so we did not have to walk far. It was still very damp and marsh-like, but at least there were no swamps to leap over.

Giant spider webs looped around tree branches, and mutated monsters roamed around as we entered.

"This is it. We'll have to find the Nest now." Dart announces.

Shana falls to her knees. 

"Shana! Are you all right?"

"I think she's affected from the poison in the air." Lavitz says. "We will not be able to stay here much longer as well. We must quickly complete our task. Shana must be more sensitive to it than we are."

"I'm fine. I just need a rest, that's all." Shana insists, running off.

"Hey, Shana!" Dart calls. "Wait!"

Here we go again. Always chasing after her. 

We find her sitting on a patch of clean grass. A giant plant wavers several meters behind her, a hideous dark mushroom, but no one notices it except me. 

"Shana, are you okay?" Dart asks.

"Yeah," She forces a smile. "I just have a dizzy headache, that's all. I'll be okay. Let's go." 

"Are you sure?" Lavitz questions.

"Yeah, I'm positive. Let's go. Do you know the way?"

Dart and Lavitz exchanges glances, then shake their heads. I sigh silently, without moving. "It's that way." I point with my sword, sniffing the delicate little sniffs of a cat. No one sees me change, not ever. My expression and reactions are always slight. "I smell Feyrbrand's scent that way." 

Although they all look at me strangely, Dart follows my directions and leads the way down the right path.

The path is covered in moss and spider webs, reeking of monster scents and Feyrbrand's poison. The poison only makes me slightly ill, as if I wish to throw up, but it does not affect me like it does Shana, who is trying very hard to smile and keep up like she is perfectly fine. She really does care about Dart, although from what I see, and what I heard Lavitz say, he looks at her as a baby sister. 

A giant spider web stretches over a large pit ten feet in diameter. Although I could easily leap it with or without Dragoon form, the others probably cannot. Besides...I sniff again. Feyrbrand is down there.

So I allow Dart to walk onto the spider web, which strains and creaks until all four of us are on it, then snaps with a delicate sound. The floor drops out from under us. 

"Oh shoot!" Dart yells.

Luckily, the ground is not too far down. Everyone lands safely and without harm. I stand up and dust myself off.

Shana is kneeling in front of a shimmering pool. "Dart? What is this?"

The warrior walks up to the pool and leans in, his fingers disturbing the gentle surface. "Oh. This...I feel much better. It must be a regenerating pool. They work like rock fireflies. They heal you and abnormal statuses. Everyone try this, and then we'll get on our way."

I am the only one that does not do so. "I don't need it." I say. 

The path to the Jade Dragon is a maze of winding tunnels and blockades. It takes us twenty minutes just to find a path that does not lead to a dead end. 

"Another blockade." Lavitz calls, staring at the barrage of plants. 

These plants bar the way down the paths. They look much like seaweed, only they are packed tightly together, making it impossible to even push. 

"Step aside. I'll do it." I offer, but my voice makes it impossible for me to sound gentle. 

Lavitz wisely sidesteps to stand by Dart, and I pull my sword back. Quickly and silently, I slash the blade across the plants, making them wither and crumble. 

There is a slight pause. "Thanks, Rose." Dart finally says, and makes a motion with his hand. "Let's go." 

"The poison's getting worse." Lavitz says, making a face. "I can smell it stronger."

That is because Feyrbrand is up ahead. I think. I suppose we're ready to confront him. I wonder who his master is? 

"I think we'll be meeting the Dragon soon." Dart says. "Somehow I can smell it. I don't know; somehow being a Dragoon makes my senses stronger. I can smell Feyrbrand. He's up ahead. Everyone make sure you're ready for battle." 

I'm always ready for battle. I think, shifting slightly. As was he, Dart. He was the best warrior I ever met. Except maybe for you. You remind me so much of him. I think I see him in you. Could that even be possible?

My love...you died years ago...and with you died my heart. 

I snap myself out of my trance just in time so I can walk along with the others without someone calling my name. That never happens to me. I do not draw attention or ask help in any way.

The door up ahead has a Dragon carved into the frame. I trace the sculpture with my finger, trailing along the delicately carved wings. 

"Do you know that one, Rose?" Shana asks.

"Yes. He is the one we are searching for right now. He is in the room up ahead. He is the Jade Dragon of the Wind, Feyrbrand." I answer. "Each Dragoon has a master. I wonder who his master is?" 

We proceed inside the door. All my nerves are standing on end. My body knows that something is wrong. Feyrbrand is near, but I cannot see him. All I see is a man sitting on an elegant marble throne on the far side of the room. This is no throne room, as it is messy and unpolished, but it is decorated along the lines, and the man sits as if trying to imitate a king.

I narrow my eyes. There is something about him that is dark and wary. He looks normal enough, wearing armor and holding a spear. But he is smiling, as if he has been expecting us. That would not be impossible. We have been calling our attacks and making weapon clashes as we destroyed the blocking plant walls. 

Dart and Shana are both alert for battle, but Lavitz seems affected by this person. He steps forward, and his knuckles are white from clenching his weapon so hard. "Greham!" he yells furiously.

"Lavitz. So glad you could make it." The man called Greham stands and bows mock-politely.

"You betrayed my father and caused his death!" Lavitz accuses. "You will pay for that!" 

"I think not." A flash of green light momentarily blinds my vision, and then Greham stands there, clothed in the armor of the Dragoon of the Jade Dragon Feyrbrand. He must have been the green-tusked Dragon's new master.

"You're a Dragoon?!" Lavitz says, in disbelief.

"This is the power I obtained!!"

"Obtaining a Dragoon Spirit is not easy. How did you learn of it?" I demand.

"It is surprising that there is someone in Basil that still knows about it. Fine. You will know before you die. Emperor Doel is acting under the orders of the Emperor Diaz."

Emperor Diaz! 

I shake my head frantically. "Impossible. Emperor Diaz died over ten thousand years ago, with the army of the Imperial Gloriano." I say coldly.

"Then how do you explain the power you are about to see?"

A rhythmic thumping sound comes along and then a giant green-tusked Dragon enters from the large space behind Greham, roaring. Shana flinches, no doubt realizing that the poison came from this Dragon.

"This is Feyrbrand, my Jade Dragon. Attack!" 

In this battle, it is the four of us versus Greham and Feyrbrand. 

Feyrbrand used to be a powerful warrior back then. His master was wonderful, always making jokes to lighten the darkness of the war. His master was a scholar, teaching things to the rest of the Dragoons. Everyone respected Feyrbrand, who was second in command only to the Red-Eyed Dragon.

Greham is more powerful than his Dragon is, and his attacks devastating. Therefore, we attack him first, launching arrows and lances and slashing swords. 

As I watch, I realize that the way Dart fights is also very similar to my love's skills. What is their connection? Has he been reborn in Dart? And why can't I tear myself away from this odd little group?

Despite his rough attacks, Greham fell easily. "Ugh. I got a deep gash. You'll still have to face my Dragon!" He spreads the green Dragon wings and flutters back to sit on his throne, breathing labored.

"Whip Smack!" I cry, rushing up to the Dragon.

"Feyrbrand, Jade Dragon, forgive us." I whisper. I am apathetic to everything but the Dragons. I care for them, because there are few left.

Feyrbrand finally falls a few minutes later, bowing his head in humble defeat. Red blood gushes from several scars running along its insect-like body. I look away, not in revulsion but in pity.

Greham is dying as well, lying on the stone steps up to the throne. Lavitz walks carefully up to him and takes his head in his lap. Enemy or friend, he has pity for the dying.

"I...I am sorry I turned against you." Greham says through bleeding lips. "I wanted to defeat your father. He was always better than me, excelling in everything. I wanted to beat him. So I acquired the Dragoon, and I betrayed him. I figured if he wasn't there, I could be the best..." he sighs wistfully. "Now I see that I was wrong... Lavitz, you are everything your father Servi would have wanted you to be. Be proud, Leader of the first Knighthood, and serve the King Albert well."

With that, he slumps over, spurting blood, his body going limp.

Lavitz places his head down carefully. "Rest in peace, Sir Greham."

"He is lucky to be dead now." I say. "Greed for power leads to fear. This fear leads to sorrow. Now his sorrow is over."

I watch this carefully; listening as Feyrbrand shrinks into a glowing green light, entering his home in the pendant that Greham wore around his neck. What will happen to the Dragon now?

But instead of dimming, the green Wind pendant glows brighter, and lifts off of Greham gently, barely disturbing the dark hair, hovering several meters in the air. 

I frown.

The pendant glows star-like, and lowers itself gently around Lavitz' neck. 

The Jade Dragon chose Lavitz to be its Master.

"What is this?" Lavitz doesn't sound annoyed or angry, just curious and interested.

"That is the Dragoon Spirit of the Jade Dragon, Feyrbrand. You are its new master. You are the Dragoon of the Wind." I announce. "Odd that now there are three Dragoons is this little team."

"I understand. I accept this power. I will use this power for justice!" Lavitz declares. "Just like Dart and Rose!"

Use for justice? Hah! 

Shana steps forward, smiling. Her creamy skin is flushed with heat. "Congratulations, Lavitz." She says cheerfully, and her face changes. From warmth and joy to confusion and dazed to terror and pain. Her legs tremble, and she crumbles to the ground, face down.

"Shana!" Dart yells. He and Lavitz bend down by her. "Shana, what's wrong?"

Lavitz reaches out a hand and checks for a pulse. "She's alive, but she's unconscious. I think that she has some very negative effect to the dragon poison. We need to get her to a doctor right away."

"We can't go back over the Villude carrying Shana. So we have to go forward to Lohan." Dart replies. "Let's go. Rose, come on." he picks up Shana's petite frame in his arms and looks around. "Where's the path?"

"Up." I point. "Climb."

Using several strips of leather from the brown belts and excess armor, the two create a sort of harness on Dart's back so that he can carry Shana and leave his arms free to climb.

I am the first one up. "The commercial town of Lohan." I read a sign and point. "To the southwest."


	4. Shirley

****

Shirley

"I couldn't believe it until I saw it. It's dragon poison." The dark-skinned doctor explains. 

Lohan is a very busy place with too many people. The stores and houses are stacked on top of one another, creating a sort of a maze. We need to ask for directions before we can find the doctor.

"How can we help her? Is there any cure?" Dart asks worriedly. 

"Well...um..." The doctor frowns. "Not any that actually exist."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I've heard stories that Dragoni Plants can cure those that have been harmed by dragon poison. But...those Plants are only myths. I don't think they actually exist." He pauses. "You could give it a try though. Go talk to Dabas, the merchant here. He should know something about it, like where it's located."

Asking for directions again, we find Dabas' shop. He is very pleased to see us, the ones that saved his life. Actually, I didn't help, but I don't say that.

"A Dragoni Plant?" Dabas repeats, after we tell him our current situation. "Let me check." He hurries off to a back room.

"Rose, do you know anything about this?" Dart asks me.

I shake my head, sending ebony hair flying every which direction.

Dart looks crestfallen. Dabas comes back holding a torn piece of paper. "Here! Here is says that a Dragoni Plant has been observe near the Shirley Shrine!"

"The Shirley Shrine?" Dart echoes. 

"There's a path leading to it in the forest. But…" I pause. "There is a large plant blocking it. There is no way past it, except to kill the plant with healing water."

"Healing water?" Lavitz puts one hand to his head in deep thought. "Maybe the water in the Nest of the Dragon?"

Dabas selects a large crystal bottle for us to carry the water in. "Because you saved my life, I am happy to help. Hurry and heal the girl. She was very nice."

"Thank you, Dabas." Dart nods. "Lavitz? Rose? Come on, let's go." 

Even they know the path to the Forest now, and I do not need to lead the way. The journey is silent, or at least for Dart. He does not speak. His eyes are on the road in front of him.

Lavitz and I trail behind him.

"He seems upset." The blonde Knight comments.

"His girlfriend is fatally sick. Would not you be upset?" I retort.

"Well, actually, I still don't know about this whole business between the two of them. He looked at her as a baby sister, but now I'm not sure. Sometimes it's either way." Lavitz reports.

I shrug. _It does not concern me..._

Dart alone jumps down into the Nest to fill up the water. He refused our help when Lavitz offered, saying that it would only take a few minutes. So I sit on a branch in the tree, and Lavitz studies the cobwebs.

"Did you ever love anyone, Rose?" Lavitz asks.

I am slightly surprised by his question; I do not answer.

"Rose?"

"Yeah, I'm listening. It's really none of your business."

"So that means that you did. So what happened?"

I jump off the tree, dusting my gloved hands. "Maybe I did, and maybe I didn't." I reply easily. Over the years I have learned to conceal everything with expert ease.

"You're a very mysterious woman, Rose. You never seem to speak to us. Like you look at us, but don't see us. And your answers are always in deep-sea riddles." Lavitz stands as well, peering into the edge of the Nest.

"A good defense is a good offense." I quote. "What's taking Dart so long?"

"Couldn't find the water?" Lavitz suggests. "I think you'd like King Albert, Rose."

"I don't like anyone too much. But why do you say so?"

"Well, he's wise too. And he knows a lot about everything, including the Dragon Campaign. He's a good fighter, and he's handsome." Lavitz grins.

I arch my eyebrows. "I do not get romantically involved with anyone, especially not some stuck-up royalty king. He is still a human, and unable to beat me in a fight." I shrug. "But perhaps I will meet him sometime." 

A scuffling of sound announces Dart's presence, and he climbs up with a full water bottle in his hand. 

"Got it. Now let's go. Where did you see the plant, Rose?" 

I lead the way again, silently, answering only by moving.

I wonder what he would think if he saw me like this? Would he be horrified? Pleased? And after all these years, why do I still care? I still love him as if he were right here with me.

The plant is towering, over seven feet tall, like a giant black mushroom. Dart brings his right arm back and then forward, tossing the water at the plant, bottle and all.

The plant pauses in its swaying, and seems to absorb the water. Then, slowly, it fades into the ground, leaving nothing but a dark scar.

"The Shirley Shrine." I announce, pointing to the light I see in the distance. "Weak monsters live there and I hear that there is a protector."

"Strong or weak?"

I shrug, as if I do not know. "Shall we go?"

The Shirley Shrine is decorated along the ancient Mayan lines, very pretty and ancient. But the main temple where the Shirley resides is shaped like a Wingly fort. My eyes narrow as I see it. 

As we enter, all three of our Dragoon spirits begin to glow, one dark violet, one fire red, and the other wind green. 

"They're resonating." I explain.

"Does that mean there's another Dragoon here?" Lavitz inquires.

I shrug. "See it with your own eyes."

Oh, that's right. Of course there would be. 

The journey there is too dull to describe. We went in, and quickly defeated the guardian, a bandit named Drake. After he fell, Dart rushed past him into Shirley's Shrine. He begged her for the Dragoni Plant, and she was a kind ghost-woman.

She floated out of her Shrine and looked at the downed Drake. She studied us for a moment. "People with Dragoon Spirits. Why are you disturbing my quiet moment?"

"What are you?!" Lavitz steps back, seeing that her shimmering feet do not touch the ground.

"We are not here for that! We are here to save our friend's life!" Dart says passionately.

"Life of your friend?" She echoes.

I decide it is time to intervene. I step forward. "Do you remember me?"

The ghost floats around me, tipping her head to one side. "You are... Rose, aren't you…?"

I nod.

Shirley. Beautiful Shirley with her copper-ruby hair in a floating metallic cloud around her pale smooth-skinned face and shoulders. Wide gleaming bright eyes the color of amber sap. Shirley with the kind yet fiery attitude, and the expert at the bow and arrow. Shirley who always listened to everyone else's problems, who always comforted me when I cried, the one who could always tell what was on everyone's mind and soul, the one whom everyone loved and admired. The same Shirley from my past. She hadn't changed a bit.

But then again, she couldn't change even if she wanted to.

But her beauty wasn't just physical. Anyone could be beautiful from her features, such as Shana or I. But Shirley was beautiful because her soul was shown on her face. Because her expression was as if she had seen all the evil and agony in the world, and accepted it, embracing it as her own.

Which is not far from the truth.

"Oh…I understand." She says sympathetically. "You have been on your sad journey since then..."

Shirley is one of the few people who know what happened before. Her mind powers allow her to see into my thoughts and heart. Besides, she had been there.

"You too, Shirley." I reply. 

Dart steps forward, arms at his sides. "Won't you spare me some Dragoni Plant? Shana is suffering from Dragon's poison!" 

Shirley turns to Dart, observing him. "Dragon? Oh, they are still clinging to life… Unfortunately, I don't have any Dragoni Plant."

"Then what about Shana?" Dart's voice is strained, maybe on the verge of tears.

"There is one way to save her." 

"I'll try anything! Just tell me!" 

Instead of speaking, Shirley holds out her hand, and resting on her palm is a white orb.

"Dragoon Spirit?!"

"A Dragon's poison can be removed with the Dragoon Spirit of a White Silver Dragon which is filled with healing magic." Shirley holds out a white pendant strung on the necklace. "But first you must prove you can earn it."

She looks at Dart. Waving her hand once in front of her face, her image shimmers with a golden-silver light and Shana appears. "Dart, I have been waiting. Why did you leave without saying a word?"

Dart hesitates, no doubt bewildered by the image that looks so much like Shana. "To pursue the Black Monster."

Shana/Shirley gasps. "The Black Monster?! Dart, what are you going to do after you find the Black Monster?" 

"Get revenge." Dart says, and I frown at this exchange.

Shana/Shirley shakes her head slightly. "Dart, please, forget about revenge and be with me. The Black Monster or me, Dart?"

"Shana." Dart says firmly, making his decision. "Revenge is not important."

The Shana image smiles and returns to the floating Shirley hovering there. "Lavitz, show me what you believe." The golden light moves down her body and then up, and then King Albert stands there.

"Lavitz! What are you doing here! Forget Shana and go back." He orders.

"That's not like you!" Lavitz replies. "You're not King Albert."

"Are you disobeying my order? Choosing one over many?" Albert snarls, pointing a beautiful lance at the knight. Lavitz really does love his king; I could tell when he spoke of him. How this must hurt him, even if it is only an image.

"Shana needs me, Your Majesty." Lavitz says gently.

"Lavitz, well said. That's the renown Knight of Serdio. Life is precious, whether it is one or many." The lance returns to his side. "Help out with Shana." The light comes again and then Shirley reappears.

"Dart, advancing will bring truth as well as terrible ordeals. And you still want to go?"

"No matter what, I will go on." Dart answers.

"Brave young people. What you'll see is all the truth. Never gaze away. Only total acceptance brings you to the way." She looks at me with those strange eyes. "Lastly, Rose, what does life mean to you?"

__

Nothing but sacrifice. I think at first. But I know… "I've never thought about it."

"Rose," She says my name gently. "I see the end to your agonizing journey. The young man there will awaken the old you, and lead you to the future. Now, illuminate the dark road with my White Silver Dragoon Spirit. The new Dragoons, I give you my blessings."

She pauses once, and then holds out the glittering pearly orb. Dart takes it gratefully. "Sometimes the truth can hurt, but it is always best to go forward and face it." She sighs wistfully, looking at Drake. "Please. Can you heal him? He has been a loyal guardian. He has protected me countless times from bandits and thieves. Please use the Dragoon to heal him. I no longer have an entity, so I can't draw upon the power."

Reawaken the old me? I think. That would not be possible. The old me died a long time ago.

Dart looks at the white pendant. "I don't know how to. I can't feel the power between us."

Shirley looks at me, as if expecting me to explain. I wave my hand at Dart. "Hold it out with your own Dragoon Spirit."

The warrior does so, holding out the white pendant in one hand and the red pendant in the other. Both begin to glow, like twin suns.

"This is..."

"Your Dragoon Spirit is calling on the power in the White Silver Dragon." I explain. 

Drake groans as the breath is returned to him, and sits up. "Ah... Ahh.... Am I alive?"

Shirley speaks up, quickly. "Drake will not stop you. Leave now, quickly."

And with that, she herself begins to fade. "Rose, I see the end of your tiring journey. Use my Dragoon Spirit to illuminate your road of darkness. Help these new Dragoons find their way." Shirley smiles her enchanting smile and transforms into a burst of white light. Her voice speaks one more sentence. "And Dart? Although the truth may hurt, it is always best to go forward and face it."

The burst of white light glimmers once as if smiling, and floats upward until it blends in with the soft whiteness of the clouds.

"Shirley? What happened to her?" Lavitz asks.

"She's in the place she is supposed to be in." I answer. _Shirley stayed here to see if she could help the others, who must have also been trapped._

I turn away, and start walking toward Dart. In a low voice so that he cannot hear, I murmur, half to myself, "We had some good times, Shirley."


	5. Cry

****

Cry

The doctor is surprised to see that we have returned. "You got it?"

"No, not the Plant. But something else." Dart brushes past him and holds the pendant over Shana, who is sleeping peacefully.

The white glow fills the room, dimming the lamps. 

Dart jerks back, dropping the necklace. The pendant hovers and moves to attach itself around Shana's neck.

"Was it supposed to do that? I thought it was only supposed to heal her."

It should be impossible. Unless Shana is a Dragoon too... 

"What is that?" the doctor asks.

"The Dragoon Spirit of the White Silver Healing Dragon of Light." I explain, clutching at the stone on my choker, which begins to glows the dark violet. Dart and Lavitz do the same, red and green blending in with my darkness light. The room lights up.

Shana arises, looking around and then down at the white light spilling from her pendant. "Dart? What's going on?"

"You're a Dragoon now, Shana. The Dragoon of Light. Shirley gave us your Spirit. It healed you and now you're a Dragoon." Dart answers from somewhere in the light.

"I'm a Dragoon now too?"

It's too coincidental. Something's wrong... 

"Yes." Dart replies. "Can you feel the power?"

"Yes. It's powerful, but at the same time, also tender."

"Um...excuse me? Can you turn that light off? It's hurting my eyes." The doctor says.

I shut off the power from the pendant, and the others do the same. The light returns to normal, and the doctor rubs his eyes. "All right. I'm rather confused, but I have a feeling that if you explain, I'll just get even more confused. So this is free of charge because I've actually seen Dragoons." He smiles. "In all my old life, I've never seen this magic before. It's been a pleasure, young ones."

He pauses. "Well, actually. You're just in time for the Hero Tournament. Daredevils from all over the world are coming to compete. You might want to give it a try, young man." he says to Dart.

He smiles his thanks, then we leave the clinic.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Dart asks frantically to Shana.

"I'm positive." Shana pirouettes to prove it. "Let's get out of here. I don't like this place."

"Neither do I." Lavitz comments, looking around. 

"But I want a shot at that hero tournament." Dart decides. "I want to join, to see how high I can get."

Just like the one from my past. Always trying to find ways to challenge himself, stretch his limits. 

"Hey, Dart." Lavitz speaks quietly. "Don't use your Dragoon Spirit here. We don't want to make a scene and attract attention."

"I know."

The tournament takes place in an arena on the southern side of the large town. The four of us walk in, and I pause, sniffing the air. 

Dart walks back to me and after a few moments Shana and Lavitz do the same. "What is it, Rose?"

"Something is not healthy here." I warn. "Something smells like blood."

"It's a tournament, a battle. Of course there is blood." He says practically.

I shake my head. "Here. Take this Body Purifier. You'll need it if you're going to join." 

Dart looks confused, but he knows that I am usually not wrong, and accepts the vial of curing water that heals regular poison.

The fighter disappears, but I do not wait for Shana and Lavitz. If Dart is not with them, why should I stay? I walk off, finding an empty seat in the first few rows. 

Shana and Lavitz catch up later, getting the seats behind me. "Why... did you...leave us, Rose?" Lavitz pants. "We had to...run...to catch...up."

I shrug, not turning around. "The fight's starting."

Dart is one of the first contestant, against a burly man whom I identify by the program as Golgaga. 

He breaks the rules right away, and tosses a poison spell at Dart, who stumbles and stares down at the green orbs floating around him.

"Is this poison?" he demands, sword drawn. "That's foul play!"

"I'll do anything I can to win." Golgaga replies gleefully.

Dart thinks for half a second, and pulls out the Body Purifier I gave him before the battle and drinks it.

__

I told you that you would need it. I smirk.

After the green orbs dissipate, Dart rushes forward and in a series of quick slashes, defeats his opponent.

What a short fight...not amusing at all. 

Dart waves to the audience, and runs back to the backstage to prepare for his next battle.

The red-clad warrior breezes his way easily through the next three battles.

His fighting skill...so much like him. His smile...so much like him. His attitude even...so much like him. Has he been reborn in Dart? Why can't I figure it out? How could I possibly ask him? 

The last battle is Dart against a handsome platinum-haired man named Lloyd, who holds a brilliant sword. The new man is not burly like Golgaga had been, but slender and well-toned. A jewel hangs around his throat, shifting subtlely from silver to ruby at different times. Lloyd has an air I do not like around him, a warning sense that tells even me "danger, stay away!"

I lean forward in my seat as I watch him pelt Dart with various attacks. He moves quicker than is humanly possible, his skill unmatchable so that even Dart succumbs quickly. The sword moves as if it is an extension of him, and Lloyd's hair glints in the light as he moves swifter and more fluid than a raging river.

Well...a true warrior. I had thought no one could defeat Dart so easily. Who is this new platinum haired man? I wonder how I would do in a fight against him? I would probably lose... 

The three winners come out. A dark-haired man claims third place, Dart second, and Lloyd first. The silver-haired man is not smiling. He simply accepts the trophy and walks off. I like his attitude, but danger warns me. It has been a long time since I have felt the foreboding of fear for someone, and it is pleasant to have this change.

When we meet up with Dart again, the dark-haired man is with him. 

Shana speaks first. "Congratulations, Dart! You got second place!" 

"Lloyd was very impressive. He defeated me right away." Dart breathes his amazement. "I wonder who he actually is? I wish I could have won first place though." 

"Don't worry about it. Besides, you looked so cool." Shana turns to the dark-haired man who had won third place, who is now standing next to Dart. "Hello."

Dart gestures. "This is Haschel. He's a master of Rouge arts. We met about four years ago, when I was on my quest to find the Black Monster."

Black...Monster... 

Haschel is an old man. Not too old, though. About sixty, old enough to be Dart's grandfather, but still looking rather young, and by his movements, he is a fighter, and very healthy. Dark hair, a mustache, small eyes, and more than his share of nose make him look original. Almost wise, but in a humorous way. 

He smiles at Shana. "Hello. You must be Dart's friend." He looks at Lavitz, and then me. "Hey, Dart, is that tootsie over there your friend too?"

"Don't 'tootsie' me." I snarl. "My name is Rose." 

"Ah. I see. So which one of you is Dart's sweetheart?"

"W-what?" Dart takes a step back. "Haschel, it's not like what you think. Besides, I've told you about Shana lots of times!" 

"Oh, and do you still think of her as your baby sister?"

Lavitz cuts in, saving Dart's hide. "You know what? We're not in a rush to go anywhere. Why don't we enjoy the arena for a while? There are mini-games too. Dart, why don't you go with Shana? Rose can come with me." 

"What?" 

The blonde young man takes my right forearm and leads me to the side.

I dig my feet into the ground and brace myself, hauling him to a stop. I use only a little bit of strength, but as I push him, he twists backwards and falls. "Why do _I_ have to go with you?" I demand. 

"Just pretend...really." Lavitz explains. "Dart, aren't you going to go with Shana? I didn't mean you, Master Haschel!" he says, as the dark-haired man took Shana's hand and started leaded leading her off.

"Oh? Well Dart seemed to have a hard time making up his mind so I decided to do it for him." The Rouge master laughs.

__

He must be trying to help Dart and Shana. I walk off into the shadows. 

I sit on the railing of the pit that is the tournament ring, and begin to think about him.

After a while, Dart and Shana come over.

"Don't you have someplace to be?" I ask them, just the vaguest hint of annoyance buried in my tone. "I'll talk to you two later."

They walk off, but I can hear Shana murmuring something.

After a fair amount of time, I win a dagger-throwing contest and return to Lavitz and Haschel just as Dart and Shana do the same. 

Lavitz leads Dart away to speak to him. Haschel turns to Shana. 

"Did you have a good time?"

"Yes."

The master turns to me. "Did you, Rose?"

I toss the tickets at him. "It was boring."

"You don't like much of anything, do you?" Haschel asks.

"No." I am amused at his boldness; not too many people tell me that straight out. 

Lavitz and Dart returns, both grinning, and we are on our way. Haschel waves good bye to us, saying he needs to resume a personal quest.

As we near the exit of the town, a soldier stumbles in.

Several shrieks and gasps sound. The civilians see the arrow sticking out of his back. The soldier crumbles to the ground.

Lavitz kneels down by the man. "You-you are a knight of Basil! What has happened?!"

The soldier looks up. "Sir...Lavitz? I'm...glad... At least I won't die in vain..."

"What's going on?!"

"Sandoras...surprised us with an attack... His Majest Albert...is in captivity..." he takes a labored breath. "The King...Hellena..." With his final breath the soldier delivers the message, and then his head drops back to the ground.

Lavitz stands. "King Albert!! I am coming now!"

"Calm down, Lavitz! Pull yourself together!" Dart stops him, grabbing his arm and jerking him to a stop. 

"Let me go! I gotta go! King Albert!" Lavitz struggles like a captured jaguar.

From out of nowhere, Haschel runs up and leaps over Dart and Lavitz. Spinning around, he jabs his fist sharply into Lavitz.

"Ow...!" The blonde knight crumbles to the ground.

"Sorry about that." Haschel says, wiping his hands on his tunic. "Shouldn't you get him to the doctor?"

"Agh... Ah..." Lavitz sits up. "I am..." he leaps out of the bed in one fluid motion. "King Albert!"

Haschel speaks first. "You idiot! When knights lose their self-control, their lord cannot be saved." Haschel explains wisely. "While you were out, I went around and got a feel of the situation. Bale is under occupation, so I don't think the remaining Knights can do anything."

"What about King Albert?" Lavitz asks anxiously.

"He offered himself up as a captive so that the people in Basil could be safe."

"I've got to go help him." Lavitz rises to his feet.

"I'm coming with you all." Haschel declares.

"But what about your runaway daughter?" Dart cuts in.

The martial arts master shrugs. "I have been searching for her for twenty years. Going with you on a short journey will not make any difference."

I speak up, lazily. "If you are going to go, you better decide it now."

"I was held at Hellena Prison before. I know the way." Shana says, starting southeast. "It's this way. Come on!" 

There is not much to say about the Prison. It's dull and by the beach and dark and smelling of human fear. The guards are stupid. We are able to sneak past them without being discovered, all the way up to the Captain Fruegal.

The Captain is a man/monster who has had way too many donuts. A monster dog and a monster bird stay by him, like bodyguards. 

"Hee hee hee! The sun is almost up! I'm such a nice guy, aren't I? Allowing you to see the sun before you die!"

"Sir, Emperor Doel ordered that he was supposed to stay alive!" One soldier says.

"I don't care! I'm not waiting for that man in black! I want some entertainment. At dawn, this king is mine. I'll kill the King at sunup."

"That's the King Albert." Lavitz hisses, pointing at the man in front of Fruegal.

I take a close look at the ruler. He is kneeling on a pile of hay, his hands tied behind his back, useless. He is wearing baggy brown leather pants and brown boots, but no shirt, as Fruegal has removed it so it will not get in the way of the execution. I cannot see the color of his eyes from this distance, but I see that his hair is silky and brown, like Shana's, in a waving style that is rather long for a male. As I look closer, his hair is long, tied back neatly with a rubber band. But his face and features are noble and clean and wise, truthful and ready to accept anything. His expression is worried but determined. He knows that he will die, but he accepts that, and he will not cry or beg for mercy. He truly does look like a king. I feel a distant respect for him. He is not the stuck-up royalty I had thought he would be.

"Say something, King." Freugal demands. "Are you afraid? Speak up!"

"I have nothing to say to vulgar men." The King replies flatly, but still with dignity.

"It's time to get him out of here. Dawn is almost here." Dart whispers.

"All right. I got it." Shana gets up on one knee and launches an arrow from her bow. It lands next to Fruegal's foot as a warning.

"Fruegal!" It is Lavitz that moves first, leaping into the clearing. "Release the King!" 

"Lavitz!" Albert yells. He has a nice voice that carries distance, part of being a king, I suppose. "Don't come any nearer! Stay away!"

"So. The Knight did come, as I expected. And the red warrior. Guftas, Rodriguez, attack!" 

The fat captain and the bird and the dog teamed together against the four Dragoons and one martial artist.

The battle is easy. Fruegal does not deserve the title of captain. And his pets are even easier. I note that Dart, Shana, and Lavitz have grown much stronger. The journey strengthens them, although it is a short journey in my opinion. But then again, I have lived for a long time.

Lavitz charges in for the final blow, and destroys the captain, knocking him away with the lance.

But with Fruegal out of the way, it is not hard to see the man in black attacking King Albert.

The man wears a silver helmet over his head, shielding his face, and a long black cloak that wraps around him. He has broad shoulders, but a slim build. His right hand is thrust into the king.

__

Into the King, actually _in_ his flesh. One gloved hand is gripping the king's shoulder, holding him still and immobile, while the other is digging into the flesh on the bare back, between the shoulder blades. Reaching in as if to pull something out. Albert is struggling, and crying out in pain. But there is no blood.

The black-cloaked man pulls his hand back, and in it is a glowing green jewel, more expensive than a throne. It is a perfect sphere, a bright green shimmering orb. I can sense the magic in it, Wingly magic. It is one of the Divine Moon Objects. I don't know a lot about them, but I know that they are significant.

"I knew it was here. Moon Gem." The man hisses. His oddly familiar voice makes me frown.

"Moon Gem!?" Dart echoes

"Aahhh!" Lavitz roars. Lance positioned, he charges forward, and leaps into the air as a man, but comes down as a Dragoon.

The man in black is not intimidated. Stone cold he stays until the last possible second, and then draws out a sword. First the hilt, and there is no blade. But just like that, the blade appears.

A glowing sword the color of the sun, and shaped like fire, thin and long but it seems to actually be flaming. It has a red hilt in the shape of a Dragon head and sharp fiery edges and I recognize it immediately.

"That sword!" I gasp. It is enough to shock me. 

Lavitz, don't! 

Lavitz thrusts his lance with his right hand, leaving his left side vulnerable. And the hooded man knows that.

The sword raises up and slides neatly right between the knight's ribs. A swift whooshing sound like the wind sighing is heard, and the Dragoon armor breaks into delicate pieces, the torso armor shatters. The man in black twists the sword once, and then tugs it out, sheathing it again. Beneath the silvery helmet, I can see thin lips pulling into a smile.

Lavitz crumbles to the ground, groaning.

Shana screams.

"Lavitz!" Dart yells. 

A sudden wind, the essence from the defeated Dragoon, knocks the helmet off the black-cloaked man's head, revealing shining platinum hair.

"Lloyd!" Dart shouts. "You bastard!"

He charges forward, just as Lavitz did, sword drawn.

But Lloyd ducks off, moving with incredible speed, leaping out of the clearing and out of the prison. 

No one moves after him. Not even I. 

Dart kneels down by Lavitz, gathering his friend in his arms. "Lavitz?" he says quietly. 

Albert gets to his feet and walks over to Lavitz, his hands still bound. A look of infinite sadness is on his face, and his eyes are wet.

Lavitz struggles to open his eyes. He is dying. I can tell that even at this distance, by the flower of blood blossoming on his chest. The redness blends with the green of his Dragoon armor, spilling from his mouth and his wound. 

"Is His Majesty King Albert all right?"

"Yeah, Lavitz. He's fine." Dart whispers.

The blonde knight smiles despite his obvious pain.

Shana buries her face in my shoulder and sobs. 

And as for I, even I am shocked. Another friend of mine that has died. I was never friends with him in the dictionary definition, but...we did travel together, and he tried to talk to me, and it has been a long time since that ever happened. Ever since what happened to my love all those years ago, I have stopped caring for anyone, in fear of death coming again.

I didn't really care for Lavitz' health, and yet he still died.

Is there no justice in the world?

My sorrow remains silent. I mourn for his soul in secrecy. 

Lavitz speaks again, breathing hard. "I can entrust you, Dart..." he takes a deep breath. "With everything... Please...take care of...the King..." Another gulp of rugged air. "Please..."

"Of course, Lavitz. Of course." Dart is crying.

"Thank you, Dart. I trust you." Lavitz' head lolls slowly to one side, his face away from us, looking at the rising sun. "Live on, Dart, and..."

And as he does so, the green pendant representing the Jade Dragoon of the Wind leaves him, floating up and hanging around Albert's neck.

"Take care of the Dragoon Spirit, please, Your Majesty." Lavitz begs. "Rose will tell you how to use it. And please watch over my friends." He smiles. "The sun is so beautiful...I never truly appreciated it."

Again I watch as a friend of mine dies. The sun rises, with light filling the world, bringing life to the sleeping flowers and animals, but the life of Lavitz fades away. Death comes to everyone, even when it's not his or her time yet. I watched my love die, and promised that I would never care for anyone ever again. But yet I did, and he died as well. 

Silently, Dart places Lavitz' body back to the ground, gently, as if there is still someone inside to feel it. 

"I'm going to give him a proper burial." Dart announces quietly. 

"I'll help." Haschel volunteers softly. I had forgotten about him.

"Me too." Shana is still crying; she speaks through her tears.

"Your Majesty?" 

King Albert shakes his head. "I...I don't want to see..." he murmurs.

"I understand. Rose?"

I shake my head, hoping that they understand I am not being nasty. For once, I care what they think.

The three disappear into the sunlight, and I turn to Albert. 

I unsheathe my sword. "Don't move." I tell him, and cut him from the bonds on his wrists. 

"Thank you." he says to me. I can see that his eyes are the same color as his hair, and just as soft. He does not look like a fighter; his physical build seems too weak and slim. 

I walk over to a rock where Fruegal had been sitting and pick up the clean white shirt. "Put this on." I order, tossing it at the king.

He does so, and sits down, staring at the pile of hay where he had been kneeling, waiting for his execution, his hands around the green pendant of the Wind. He examines it with a curious yet resigned look on his face. "What is this...? ...Lavitz told me that Rose would explain everything to me. Are you Rose?"

I nod. 

"Will you tell me what's going on then?"

Quietly, quickly, I explain about the Dragoon Spirits and their elements and the owners, finally summarizing it with, "So now you're the master of the Jade Dragon of the Wind, the Green-Tusked Feyrbrand."

"I read about the Dragon Campaign some time ago. It's a very complicated war, and very long. I heard that it took over a century..." he sighs. "So you are the master—I'm sorry, mistress—of which Dragon?"

"You cannot actually call it master. True, we refer to it as that, but we do not rule them like slaves. We are their friends, and their tutors. They are as much our masters as we are theirs. We tell them what to do. When the gods created Dragons, they gave them strength, but not wisdom. Therefore, the Dragoons were created, uniting the strength of the Dragons with the wisdom of the Humans. My Dragon is the Black Burst Vassal Dragon of Darkness, Michael."

"But then, where are our dragons?"

I turn my face away, grimacing. "Dead."

"Pardon me?"

"I said, your Dragon is dead."

"But then...how am I a Dragoon?"

"Being a Dragoon does not require for the Dragon to be alive. You simply absorbed part of its power when it was alive. Or in your case, his first master did. Feyrbrand is dead now. Only his power remains...in your Dragoon Spirit pendant."

Albert had been listening, but now he looks at me. "You're not crying."

"So?" I know he is not speaking of the Dragons anymore.

"Was Lavitz your friend?"

"As close as I ever got to a friend, I suppose." I understand his question. "But I do not cry. You can ask any one of them. As Lavitz once said, I'm a mysterious woman. I pray that his soul crosses over peacefully, but I will not cry."

Albert nods once in acknowledgement, but does not say anything.

When the others return, we all head wordlessly to the destroyed town of Seles, to take refuge and explain everything.

Three hours later, the King speaks.

"Dart, Shana, Haschel, and Rose, Lavitz was my most loyal and trusted Knight. But at the same time, he was my most precious friend. I remember him saying he had 'finally found guys he could call friends.' I understand what he meant by now. Lavitz was a great 'guy'."

"He was out of luck." I speak up. "I didn't know Lloyd had Dragon Buster." I turn my face. "If I had known, I would have stopped Lavitz."

"Dragon Buster?" Dart echoes.

"It's was a weapon from the old world; it can kill Dragons with a single blow in the right place. Even the legendary Dragoon armor is merely a shroud in front of the Dragon Buster."

"So you're saying if Lavitz didn't transform, it wouldn't have killed him."

I shake my head. "The Dragon Buster is like any other sword, yours or mine, except that it also holds the magical power of the Winglies. It didn't matter if Lavitz transformed or not, it still would have killed him. It was used several times in the Dragon Campaign to kill Dragons and Humans alike."

"How do you know that?"

I turn my head away. "I...heard about it."

"I'm coming with you. I need to get back the Moon Gem. It has been passed down in my family for generations. It is a sacred treasure."

"Then how did Lloyd know about it?" I ask practically.

"I was foolish. I employed him as an advisor. Most likely he was working for Imperial Sandora."

"That's right. If Lloyd has the Moon Gem, he is crown heir of Serdio in name and actuality." I say.

"Albert is still here! He is not dead yet! The war is not over!" Dart says with passion.

"What is a king if he has no castle to return to, and no large force to back him up?" I reply, harshly.

"We will help him." Dart says.

Albert speaks. "This war has gone on for too long, and it needs to stop! I need to avenge Lavitz. I will come with you on your journey. I am not that good of a fighter, but I will strike down my enemies with this lance—which I learned how to use from Lavitz! I will come with you."

"Brave words for a royalty." I comment from the stairway.

"Please do not refer to me as a king from here on. I wish to be part of you, as an equal, not a superior."

__

Just because you're royalty, it does not make you superior. I think roughly.

"I'm coming with you too." Haschel says. "I was on a journey to find my runaway daughter, but I have been searching for twenty years to no avail. I can put that off for a while. I cannot stay here after watching someone die. I will help you."

"I will put off my quest to kill the Black Monster as well." Dart declares. "Lloyd will not get away with this!"

"I'm coming too." Shana says quietly. "Lavitz' death won't be in vain."

Something from years ago turns itself over in my mind, and I frown. Shirley said the exact same thing when Belzac...

"Rose?" Dart asks.

"I will help." I say simply. No one asks me for my reason, and I do not volunteer the information.

"We should head for the Black Castle in Kazas." Albert says. 

Kazas, one of the legendary Dragoons from before. The master of the Dragon of Thunder. He used to always argue and fight with gentle Syuveil, the Dragoon of Wind. There is symbolism in there.

"My uncle, Emperor Doel is there. This is all his doing. He killed my father and started this civil war. I will find him. He will know what is going on." Albert continues. "The Black Castle is where Doel is." 

"You have such a daring strategy." I say. "I like it."

"Then we'll head there tomorrow. Everyone rests tonight, and I'll buy the supplies. Tomorrow we begin."


	6. Games

****

Games

The black city of Kazas is very much like the Dragoon it is named after. 

Kazas, actually Kanzas, had been the master of the Dragon of Thunder, and he had a passion for battle. Bloodlust filled him every time, and he would slaughter any enemy that dared come within his reach. He did not fight nobly like my love did, but full of burning fury that rose in him when he heard the screams of battle and the cries of the dying. 

The city of Kazas is dark and dreary, flooded with Sandoran soldiers, with the black castle overlooking the entire town like a predatory hawk about to dive down to its prey. The people are afraid to go outside, and the children are silent and gloomy.

Usually, I would like this town, but recently Lavitz has died, and besides, this lowers the pride and honor in the name of Kazas. I am personally insulted with this blow to my friend.

The item shop owner is very kind. He recognizes King Albert even though the royalty has told us not to bring it up. 

"Go to the far side of the city, into the slums. Find a young boy there named Popo. He'll get you into the castle by a secret path. Good luck, my King." The old man whispers so that the customer standing by the counter cannot hear.

As we leave, the customer stops us, grabbing Haschel's arm to halt us. "Wait. Listen to this."

I continue to walk, unimpressed, and unamused before Dart calls me to stop. I do so, hands on my hips, raising a disdainful eyebrow.

The man looks smug as he reaches into his pocket, releasing Haschel. "Look at this. Have you ever heard of the Dragon Feyrbrand?" he pulls out a green silky-looking feather, the color of jade. "I defeated it! See? I took this feather from its right front paw to prove it! Aren't I great?" he smiles proudly.

I scoff loudly. What an idiot. "Dragons don't have feathers on their legs. Feathers are only on the tips of their wings. The legs are made of bone and scales." I inform him coldly. 

The man blinks.

"Rose..." Dart murmurs.

I back off, scowling without showing it.

Two Sandoran soldiers come in, weapons drawn. Dart and the others step back a bit, hands resting on their weapons but not taking them out. 

"We heard there was someone here who defeated the Jade Dragon Feyrbrand. Who is it?"

The man gulps.

"Is it you? Come with me!" The two guards grab his arms and drag him off. The man struggles, the smug look disappearing from his face.

"No, wait! It wasn't me! I made a mistake! I was just trying to impress the soft-eyed girl! Wait, no!"

Haschel and Shana begin to laugh in hysterics, and Dart and Albert smile widely. 

"Rose...aren't you happy? You seemed angry with the man." the king says to me.

"He was a fool." I say icily, turning to the door and leaving. "Let's go."

I can hear Albert speaking. "Is she always like that? She never laughs?"

"She doesn't even smile. I think her face got frozen that way." Shana giggles. "Come on."

I haven't laughed since years ago. What is laughing? I can't even remember anymore. 

Popo is a young boy of about nine years of age, living in a messy room in the slums, standing in front of a long flight of stairs. He greets us kindly when he sees us, bowing. 

"Unless I am mistaken, you're the ruler of Serdio, King Albert." He says quietly to our newest member of the team.

"Yes. But please don't tell anyone."

"I will not." He pauses. "Your Majesty, if I may ask a question? Who do you wish to win the war? Basil or Sandora?"

Albert answers without missing a step. "As long as the war is over."

Popo nods in satisfaction. "That is correct. The important thing is for the war to be over. It is hard on us civilians. Please help us. I will show you the secret passageway that will lead you into the castle. Not even the Sandorans know about it!"

He disappears up the stairs, and we follow him. It is almost sad that a child of such young age must understand.

"Okay. For this to work, I heard that there's a security lock on Doel's chamber. We need to find the three stones to unlock it. Three stones: Red, Yellow, and Blue." Albert explains. "They're scattered all over the castle."

I nod once, slightly, and drift away from everyone, down a different corridor, ignoring Dart and Albert's hissed calls for me to come back.

This mission is not as easy as you think. It is not just to simply avenge Lavitz' death. This goes way beyond that... 

"Hey you! Stop!" 

I turn swiftly to see a brown-clad soldier running up to me. I stand still until he reaches me, and then slice my sword sideways, neatly killing him, and disposing the body into the trash compartment.

I pause as I stare at the dumpsters. Several bags of garbage land on a wide platform several meters long, and after ten seconds the platform tilts to one side drastically, knocking all the bags into the trash compartment below.

I stare past the platform, to an old man with the controls. A red stone glimmers beside him.

I crouch down at the edge of the platform, observing its pattern. I stay there like a prowling wildcat, waiting for the exact right moment.

And…_now!_

I push my feet off the floor, leaping impossibly into the air, landing on the platform on top of one of the garbage bags. Gathering my leg muscles again, I repeat the process and land on the opposite side.

I walk into the control room silently. The old man is surprised to see me, but not shocked.

"Are you here for the Red Stone?" he asks.

I nod.

"Take it. I'll halt the platform for you. Good luck getting Doel." He says, taking the Red Stone out of the alcove and handing it to me.

I nod as I take it, placing it in a leather pouch I carry on my waist. It is heavy and smooth and red, almost like a Dragoon Spirit.

For a moment, I consider killing him, to make sure he doesn't alert the soldiers. I have done that before, killing others to shut them up, and I do it without remorse.

But I can hear Dart's voice in my mind. Telling me not to kill him, that he is only an old man and cannot hurt me. Traveling with him these past few weeks has brought birth to a buried conscience somewhere deep within me.

All right. I could use some excitement anyway. I spare the old man's life, taking the stone and leaving, leaping all the way across the platform even though the man had offered to halt it for me.

I meet up with the rest of the party quickly. I can discern their walking pattern. Several of them, walking lightly and swiftly, not at all like the heavy slow thumping of the patrolling soldiers. 

The blade comes out of nowhere, slashing downward. It pauses an inch away from my nose. I do not flinch.

"Rose!" They are surprised as I suddenly appear in front of them. 

Dart lowers his sword, sheathing it again. "Rose, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" 

Unfazed, I hold out the Red Stone. "I got it. Did you get the other two?"

Dart takes the red one, combining it with the yellow one he has. "Only one of them. A commander gave it to us."

"I'm guessing that Doel isn't really liked around here." I say.

The red-clad warrior shakes his head. "Actually, the captain cared a lot for the emperor. He told us that Doel hadn't always been like this, that he's being controlled. The captain begged us bring Doel's madness to an end. He didn't care whether Sandora won or not. Just that peace would come after more than twenty years. I guess we'll find out what happened when we meet the emperor."

"But we need to find the blue stone first." Haschel reminds us.

"There's one corridor we haven't searched yet. It should be in there?" Shana suggests, pointing.

The hallway leads to several flights of stairs, downward. At the end is a large laboratory with one man inside. He is short and pudgy, with goggles perched on the top of his wild dark hair and a vial of something putrid in his hand. He flinches when he sees us.

"I see... You are here to steal my work!" he accuses. "Did those scientists upstairs send you? Did they here of the wonderful Mr. Magi's breakthroughs and wanted to claim it for their own? I'll stop you!"

I raise my eyebrow, amused.

"Steel Shearing Vacuum Blade!!" he flings his hands forward, eyebrows drawn together.

Dart and the others take their weapons and aim it at him.

"Wait a minute." I say smoothly. "Let him."

They look at me strangely, but lower the weapons and brace themselves for whatever is coming.

Nothing happens. An owl hoots somewhere.

"What? Why isn't it shearing them?" Mr. Magi demands.

I scoff.

"What! I'll teach you to laugh at me! Rock Crushing Lightningbolt!" 

Again the others move to protect themselves.

Crickets chirp.

"Why isn't it working?" Mr. Magi wails. "All right! Finally, I'll show you! I've mastered the art of transformation! Cerberus of the Dead!" He throws down the vial and smoke arises.

"It seems real this time!" Dart yells.

When the smoke clears, a dog stands in Mr. Magi's place. A puppy, a schnauzer or terrier or something, wagging its tail and barking.

Shana laughs as she bends down and pets its head. "I wonder...is this dog Mr. Magi?"

"Well, at least he amused us in the end." I comment, arms crossed.

Dart moves to take the Blue Stone out of the box in the corner. "Come on. Let's go." 

"What about Mr. Magi?" Shana asks.

"I guess the transformation will wear off when the time's up." Dart shrugs. "He's not our worry. Come on, let's go."

"The altar to place the stones in is on the upper level." Albert explains. "We'll need to take the elevators, but the guards will sound the alarm."

I unsheathe my sword. "Then we will need to silence them." 

Shana turns her face away, making a face.

__

Weakling... I think. _Shirley before you was not like this. She knew what had to be done. How could you have gotten her Dragoon Spirit?_

The elevators are lavender in color, and I watch the numbers of the floors whiz by until the doors slide open with a soft dinging sound. 

A man is inside, kneeling by a giant statue of a goddess. The statue has a large headpiece that surrounds her head like the rising sun. Her hands are clasped in front of her, her face serene. I recognize her as the goddess of goodness and virtue, Miraroshi, otherwise known as Miranda. 

The man looks up and climbs to his feet, nodding at us politely. "I have been expecting you. Are you here to confront Emperor Doel?" he asks us.

Dart nods.

"The altar is up there." the man pauses. "Doel had this statue built in memory of his wife when she died. It represents the goddess watching over us. He's actually not quite as evil as everyone thinks."

He then turns to Shana. "You are here. The girl from Seles." 

The brunette nods her head, puzzled.

"Why are the Sandorans after her?" Dart asks, just a bit roughly.

The man shakes his head. "I am not quite sure. I know that they pursue her very diligently, but I am not sure why. You must ask Doel yourself."

What is it with Shana? Why do they want to capture her? Does she hold some secret inside her? 

Dart nods again, politely, and moves onto the altar. He takes the red, yellow, and blue stones from the pouch he carries, and places them in the indicated indentations on the altar, matching the stones with the colors.

There is a humming sound, and one of the goddess's arms open, revealing an elevator.

Dart frowns at the cramped lift, and gestures to the rest of us. "Come on. Doel's up there. Let's go." 

I duck between Shana and the wall, shrinking myself so that everyone fits, but just barely. There is a humming and a click, and then the lift starts to rise.

When the doors open, Kongol stands there.

I waste no time. Pushing Albert and Haschel to the side, I get two steps of running before I leap into the air, striking the Giganto with the heel of my foot.

He stumbles back a meter of so, clutching at his shoulder, rumbling.

"Giganto don't lose twice! Giganto make you pay for Hoax. For Emperor Doel." the giant declares. He is clad in lion fur, with pieces of bronze armor. A giant axe is in his hand. 

"I guess we have to fight him." Dart says almost forlornly. "The hallway's too narrow. Haschel, Shana, you guys sit this one out. Save your energy for the next battle. Albert, Rose, and I can take care of him."

I draw first blood, rushing forward and slashing at the Giganto's midsection. "Whip Smack!" 

"Harpoon!" King Albert thrusts, twirls gracefully for a male of his status, and brings the lance onto the giant's head before returning to his battle spot beside us. 

"Double Slash!" Dart creates an X with his sword.

"Kongol attack! Pursuit!" 

With all six hundred pounds, he slams into me, knocking me back into the wall. His right hand moves into his pouch and pulls out five throwing knives.

Shana rises to her feet, one hand at her mouth. "Rose!" 

I wriggle away before the knives bury themselves in my flesh, and narrow my eyes. "Die! More and More!" 

"Spinning Cane!"

"Volcano!"

Having the odds against you are never good, especially if you are outnumbered, as Kongol is right now. It is three against one, and although he has more brute strength, we have strategy and skill. In perhaps the others' eyes, such as Shana or Albert or even Haschel's, this would be a tough battle.

When Kongol finally falls, he drops to his knees, creating a tremor along the hallway. Haschel and Shana lose their footing, and the latter nearly falls off the balcony.

The Giganto speaks. "Gigantos with strongest armor...lost. Me, brother of hero...has pride. Cannot live in disgrace. Kill me."

I step forward, drawing my sword to his neck. "As you wish."

"Rose!" Shana sounds horrified, pulling on my arm.

"Rose!" Dart yells. "That's enough! The game is over."

__

Game? This is no game, Dart. This is a matter of victory and defeat, or life and death. I think, but I obey, sheathing my bloodstained sword.

"Don't kill him. He's defeated." Shana says gently. "He can't hurt anyone now."

"I hope your sweetness doesn't kill you." I say flatly.

Shana's face changes, but Dart steps in before she can retort. "All right. Let's get ready to face Doel. Those who can turn into Dragoons, make sure your Spirits are charged. Albert, are you sure you're ready for this?"

The King nods. "I may be new at this, but Rose taught me most of what I need to know. Besides, I'll have to face Doel sometime. He killed my father and divided my land into civil war. The Serdian War must end, and now is the time to end it."

Dart nods. "Well said. Then let's go." 

Kongol speaks. "You defeated me. Why you nice to me?"

Dart simply nods again and walks forward.

Albert and Haschel run to catch up to me. "You almost ended his life." The Rouge martial arts master says to me.

I shrug. "He said to kill him." I explain nonchalantly. 

"You are a harsh woman, Rose." Haschel continues. 

"Sometimes I wonder what you are hiding. What you are afraid of." Albert muses.

I stop walking to face them directly, smoke eyes flashing. "I am not hiding anything. I am not afraid of anything. If anything, you are, Your Majesty."

Pushing past the both of them, I follow Dart and Shana into the throne room.

Doel is a tall man with a rugged-looking appearance, dressed in dark armor with a scarlet cape swirling about him. His firm mouth is outlined and shadowed by the thick black curls of his mustache and beard, the exact same as his tightly curling hair. His eyes are a stern piercing blue that seem to stare past everything. He commands respect.

"I wonder how you got all the way here. Albert." Emperor Doel nods. "You remind me of Carlo, 20 years ago. A bloodstained corpse in front of me..."

"Why did you kill him?" Albert demands. "Why did you have to divide Serdio by killing my father?"

"To save Serdio from an incapable leader named Carlo. And now my hands are about to give birth to a new Serdio!"

"Birth? What you are doing is only destructive! You have given birth to sorrow, pain, agony, and our anger!"

Dart jumps in. "Tell me! Why did you have Shana taken away?"

"Oh you are talking about Lloyd's conspiracy. 'Find the girl by the time the Moon That Never Sets waxes...' All is ordered by the reborn Emperor Diaz. Lloyd is a mere pawn. Along with the Dragoons..."

Diaz?! Emperor Diaz was the leader of the humans and Dragoons during the Dragon Campaign. But he died 11,000 years ago. Diaz commanded the Human troops. He told the Dragoons where to go. I remember him talking to me and my love before that fatal battle...Diaz was a harsh cruel ruler, very strict.

"Silly. Emperor Diaz died in the Dragon Campaign." I inform him scornfully. "As a human...here."

"I don't care whether you believe it or not. It won't make any difference to the reality! You thought you wouldn defeat me with greater numbers, right?! Come! I send you to your father's place!"

The lance twirls, and Doel jumps off the throne, standing to face us. 

"Rod Typhoon!" Albert lunges forward, thrusting.

Doel laughs and waves his hands in front of his face.

"Volcano!" Dart slashes with his sword.

A yellow shield, like a satin veil, shimmers in front of Doel and disappears when the attack is over. Dart's sword did not harm the emperor of Sandora.

"What is that?" Shana asks.

"It's a physical attack shield. It was a spell used in the Dragon Campaign to block bodily harm. There's nothing you can do against it but wait it out." I inform them. I should know; I used them. "But...usually, only Dragoons can cast them... He shouldn't be able to, unless..."

Doel laughs again. "You're right, young lady."

He waves his hands again, and a violet pendant lifts up from underneath his armor. "Behold, the Violet Dragon!"

Kanzas's Dragoon. I think. How did he get it?

"What Dragoon is that, Rose?" Haschel asks.

"It's the Dragon of Thunder, a very powerful one." I answer. "Everyone better morph now."

Dart throws me a strange glance. He is not used to being ordered. He has seemingly appointed himself as the leader of our group. But he obeys anyway.

I hold the pendant from my magical Choker in both hands. Dragon of Darkness, I call upon your power!

The pain between the two forms is powerful but challenging. I watch as darkness engulfs me in an orb of unconsciousness, and I float up, the armor beginning to sprout on me. The power floods in, stronger than ever, and I cry out at its sheer strength.

When the darkness leaves, I stand in Dragoon form.

"Use your magic!" Dart orders. 

Fire swirls around him, burning him without hurting him. His wings shrink against his sides, and he groans at the power. His wings flare out, and the green jewel on his chest glows. The fire hovers in front of the green jewel, until it becomes a solid fireball. "Flame Shot!" Dart shoves the fireball until it collides with Doel.

"Wing Blaster!" Albert sounds slightly shaky, but it is his first magic. I had messed up the first time I tried. 

The wind power from around him gathers into a tornado, swirling around the room so that the hovering Dragoons must beat their wings to stay still. The tornado spins faster, and with his mind, Albert guides it to attack Doel.

"Astral Drain!" I position my right arm, and toss my sword forward.

The blade buries itself in Doel's chest, and I fly above the team, glaring at Doel. My sword glows with an amber/red light as it absorbs Doel's energy, and then tugs itself out, flying toward me.

I catch it hilt first, and accept the energy, crying out again. The energy spreads from me to everyone else, harming Doel and healing the others.

Doel grimaces. "Atomic Mind!" 

A blast of violet energy comes from the palm of his hand and surrounds the party. He is more powerful than I had believed.

And this goes on for a long time, casting spells, and using healing items until Doel drops. It was not a quick fight.

Finally, the wings drooped, and Doel landed on his feet, spinning his sword.

Dart and Albert tense, weapons clenched even tighter.

But Doel simply laid down his weapon, and spoke. 

His voice is strained; he is dying. 

"Albert, you have grown...strong. But what you should know it not the past, but the future. Pursue Lloyd. He is in the western continent of Tiberoa. He knows everything. Go and find out about the world, about...everything."

Albert kneels by the dying form. 

Doel's Dragoon Spirit lifts itself off his neck, and flies off into the shadows on the roof. It will search for a new master now.

Albert sits there silently and watches while Doel dies. When the emperor does so, the King of all Serdio closes his uncle's eyes, and stands to face us. There are no tears on his face, but there is steely wistfulness in his eyes.

"My uncle's, er, Emperor Doel's ambitions are over. It places an end to this ceaseless long war that divided Serido into two. This is the end of our journey, everyone..."

"Not yet." Dart says, walking up to him. "It's not over yet... This journey began when Shana was taken away! Then Lavitz was killed, and the Moon Gem was stolen! Then Lloyd left for Tiberoa, leaving the mystery about Shana behind. I am pursuing Lloyd! I'll make him explain everything!"

Shana climbs to her feet. "I'll go with you... I still don't know anything about Virage or what Emperor Diaz said. My journey cannot end like this...I'll go with you, Dart!"

"My journey 'cannot end' either..." Albert whispers. "Whatever conspiracy the man is forming, the Moon Gem is one of the keys. Hollowed object concealing the magic power of the ancient Winglies. We have to stop it before it ignites a catastrophe in Tiberoa. I'll go with you to Tiberoa. I'll give up my status as king for a while, and live as a Dragoon instead. Lavitz would have completely agreed."

"Rose, how about about you?" Haschel asks.

I push myself off the wall. "I told you. I'm interested in you guys."

"So..." Dart presses.

"Besides, you feel naked without me, don't you?"

"If Rose is going, that's the end of my role." Haschel says.

I raise my eyebrows.

"She can fight better than I can. She can take my place. I have to resume my quest for my runaway daughter." He explains quietly. "I must leave now."

Hands shoved into his pockets, the old black-to-gray haired man begins to exit the throne room.

A rumbling commences, and we all turn to see the violet pendant descend from the dark roof and attach itself to Haschel's neck, tightly. He tugs at it, frowning, but the pendant does not come off, clinging even tighter.

"What is this?" he asks.

"Too big a coincidence...that the Violet Dragon selected Haschel to be its new master." It is Dart that murmurs this.

"'When Dragoons meet, blood will flow. And as they leave, Time does slow.'" I quote, pointing at all of us, then at the dead Doel on the carpet. "It's your choice to leave your fate behind."

"The question is answered." Haschel says, turning around and holding the violet pendant. 

"Dragoon Spirits are leading us! Let's go to Tiberoa."


End file.
